Insights from Dr. Kate Williamson, pediatrician at Rady Children’s Health (Rady Children’s)
Key takeaways
- Focus on health, not weight: Emphasize nutritious foods, movement, hydration, and sleep rather than numbers on the scale to protect self‑esteem and promote lasting healthy habits.
- Small, child‑driven changes work best: Encourage kids to define what feeling healthy means to them and empower them with manageable steps, like trying one new food or choosing a fun activity.
- Partner with professionals: Pediatricians and nutrition specialists can help identify medical concerns, guide safe changes, and reinforce healthy messaging, especially helpful for older children and teens.
Expert tips to help your child lose weight safely
Helping a child achieve a healthy weight is about so much more than just numbers on a scale; it’s about building lifelong habits that support physical, emotional, and social well-being. If your child is carrying excess weight, it’s natural to want to step in and support them. But it’s important to approach the journey with care, compassion, and evidence-based strategies.
Here, Dr. Kate Williamson shares practical, age-appropriate tips to help your child lose weight safely, without shame, extreme diets or unrealistic expectations. Dr. Williamson is a pediatrician with Rady Children’s and the immediate past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics Orange County, so her expertise is top-notch.
What kinds of health issues arise from being overweight?
In recent years, especially since the pandemic, there has been a significant rise in the number of children who are overweight or unhealthy. With the shift to virtual learning, many kids became less active and developed poor eating habits, contributing to the problem. As a result, even young children are now experiencing serious health issues linked to obesity, including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and joint problems typically seen much later in life.
“I’ve seen even very young kids with very high cholesterol levels, which increases their risk for cardiac disease at a younger age. They will definitely carry that throughout their lives, unless we can turn it around,” warns Dr. Williamson. “The other thing which is not so visible is the mental health impact. Children who have obesity have a much higher risk of having depression, anxiety, and increased risk of suicide.”
Why the focus should be on “health” not “weight”
It can be challenging for parents to support their child’s health without unintentionally causing harm. While the goal may be to encourage weight loss, using the wrong language or focusing too much on weight can hurt a child’s self-esteem. That’s why it’s crucial for parents to emphasize overall health and well-being, rather than the number on the scale.
“I very much recommend to not even talk about weight. When I check my kid patients and they are overweight, I don’t talk about the number on the scale because the number is not what matters. It is a reflection of what might be an unhealthy weight,” explains Dr. Williamson. “Instead, I focus on the things that make kids healthy and things they can do to be healthy.”
She advises that parents put attention on the core pillars of good health: eating nutritious foods, staying hydrated, getting regular exercise, and getting enough sleep. For many kids, it’s best to start with just one of these habits and build gradually. Celebrating small steps while keeping the focus on overall health—not weight—can lead to lasting, positive changes.
Start here: What does it “feel like” to be healthy
A great starting point for helping kids embrace healthier habits is talking about what it feels like to be healthy—having energy, feeling strong, thinking clearly, and moving fast. Rather than pushing changes, parents should guide children to define their own health goals by asking thoughtful questions and listening.
Even young children can engage in this process when it’s framed around their own desires, like wanting to run faster. Empowering kids to take ownership, even in small ways—such as trying one bite of a vegetable—can make healthy habits more meaningful and sustainable.
Navigating the different ends of the weight spectrum
An additional consideration Dr. Williamson notes is navigating times when parents have kids on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to weight. One child might be thin while another may fall into that overweight or obese category.
“What’s so important is that we recognize health is health. Maybe genetically you’re meant to be thin. That doesn’t mean you should not focus on being healthy, just as much as the person who might need to make healthier lifestyle changes,” she shares. “I tell my patients’ parents not to treat their kids differently based on how they look or their body type. We all need to be healthy. Empower them with the tools to be healthy. Try to guide them as much as you can by showing how you can be healthy, too. If you treat one child different than another, that has such negative downstream complications, which could really affect both of them for the rest of their lives.”
Value of partnering with your child’s pediatrician
Parents don’t have to navigate their child’s health journey alone. Partnering with a pediatrician can be a helpful first step, especially if starting the conversation feels difficult. Pediatricians can also connect families with specialists, like nutritionists, who offer valuable guidance tailored to the child’s needs. Even if parents already know a lot about nutrition, hearing it from a trusted professional—especially for teens—can make a big difference in how the message is received.
“As parents, we might think, ‘Is there something medically wrong with our child?’ That’s when their pediatrician can help figure out if maybe there is a thyroid issue in play, or perhaps the child is at risk of developing type-2 diabetes. We want to make sure we’re not missing those kids and we do employ early intervention along with teaching them how to be healthy,” assures Dr. Williamson.
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